Improvement in boxes



Nov. 9, 1954 A. ELME/NDQRF 2,693,894

v IMPROVEMENT :m BoxEs Filed July 31, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l A. ELMENDORF IMPROVEMENT IN BOXES Nov. 9, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 5l, 1948 United States Patent O 2,693,394 IivIPRovEMENr I N Boxes Armin Elmentlorf, Winnetka, 111,.

Application July 3,1, 1948,'Serial No. 41,873 4 claims. (c1-.12,17-17.)

My invention relates to an improvement in containers andinblanks for forming them.

One purpose is to provide'an improved blank for the formationof rectangular containers.

AAnother purpose is to provide an improved blank which includes a wood component and which is nevertheless easily formed into a container without the use of special machinery.

Another purpose is to provide a` composite wood board blank with improved bendable orhinged portions.

Another purpose is to provide a compositev wood and paperl blank in which a plurality of wood'veneer strips are employed, separated sufficiently to destroyy their original structure, but keeping their relative positions in the blank and in the container formed by the blank.

Another purpose is to providea blank for rectangular containers which may be stored and shipped iiat and which includes securing and reinforcing means adapting it to be assembled, without special tools, into a reinforced and tightly secured container.

`Another purpose is to provide a blank for rectangular containers which includes reinforcing'cleats of woodor the like. A

Another purpose is to provide an improved blank for rectangular containers which includes securing or binding means, such as sheet metal straps.

Other purposes will appear from time to time during the course ofthe specification and claims.l

I illustrate my invention morev or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view with parts broken away;

Figure 2 is a section on an enlarged scale on the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is'a section on an 3--3 of Figure l;

Figure 4 is a plan View, with parts broken away, of a enlarged scale on the line form from which the container 'of Figure may beformed;

Figure 5 is a section on an enlarged scale on the line 5 5 ofpigure 4;

Figure 6 is a sectionV on the line 6,-,-6 of Figure 4.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specification and drawings.

` Referring to the drawings, I start with a blank, illustrated in Figure 4, which includes a layer formed of narrow strips 1 of wood veneer. While the formation of the material does not ofitself form 4part of the present invention, it will be undertsood that I find it advantageous to employ a composite board having two layers 2', 3 which may be made of any suitable flexible material but which I prefer to make of a strong paper having the characteristics of kraft liner board; The layer of veneer strips 1 is adhesively held between the two layers 2 and 3 of paper.` The individual strips of the veneer are separated or severed along the grain, the separation being sufficient to destroy the original structure of the wood. However', I find it advantageous to position the individual strips of wood in their original relative position, though separating them by gaps sufficient to extend the across-the-grain length of the wood by a proportion generally of five to fteen percent. It will be noted that in Figure 4 the entire blank is formed from a sheet of the above described composite board and that the narrow wood strips extend in parallel across the entire blank. It will be understood that, if desired, I may use more than one piece of veneer for a single blank or container.

.5 which extend across thel grain.`

2,693,894 Patented Nov. 9, 1954 of the material, or even a bendfof inblanks, are f to be folded for flat storage. I ind it possible to provide elcient hinge portions or bends by providing wide gaps in the wood layer. With reference, forexample, to Figures 4 and 5, vI illustratea'wide gap 4,`the width of which may be of the orderor'exceeding the thickness of the material, but which, in anyl event, is lsufficient to permit adjacent panels of' the blank to be folded 90,

as shown in Figures 2 arid 3, oreven to be folded 180. The gaps may be of a width twice the thickness, or more, of the material. Since the composite board of which the blank is formed has an inner and an outer layer of paper or its equivalent, the' innerv layer may advantageously be folded into thel gap 4, as yshown at 3a in Figures 2 and 3, ln this connection, I may nd it advantageous to make vthe inner layer of paper thinner than the outer. This, however, is not necessary and it will be understood that I do not wish to restrict myself to such limitation. But whether or not the inner layer is thinner than the outer, the use of the'gap 4 provides ample space for the inner layer V3 to'y fold into the gap as at 3a and the inwardly folded material tends tofstr'engthen or cushion the corner bend 2a of the outer layer 2. l This relationship will be clear from Figure '2. With reference to the blank of Figure 4, I illustrate` three of thelarge gaps 4, formed along the grain of the wood, which defineY separating hinges between 'panels A, B, C and D. Each Figure l. Whereas, the Wide gaps 4 are alongy the grain of 'the veneer strips 1, I employalso a series of wide gaps These may, for example, be cut vout 0f the 'transversely extending'strips 1. The wide gaps 4 may'also, be cut out of the' strips, or if desired, some means may be employed, when the` material is being manufactured, to effect a periodic, extra spacing between adjacent'strips 1. "'The gaps 5, like the gaps 4, are preferably'cove'red by both layers of paper, as will be'clear from Figa1re`6." The panels F and H, at the top of the container,l underlie the panels E and G. The relationship of the opposite row of edge panels I, l., KandLissimilar.- L

It will be understood that any suitable reinforcements may bel applied along th'e'edges if desired. Some connection isnecessa'ry, as at 10, at'the junction between the opposed edges of the side wall panels A and D.

.Similar 'reinforcements 10a may,'i f desired, be used at ythe other corners of the box, although they may, if desired, 'be dispensed with. Similarly, any suitable securing strips,`not herein shown,'rnay be employed to hold the opposed edges of the top panels E and G together or,

.as shown at `12,'to hold the' opposed edges of the panels ,without departing from the spirit of my invention.` I 'therefore wish'rny description and drawings to be'taken as in abroad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as' limiting me to my precisfe" disclosure herein. For example, whereas I iind it advantageous to employ a material which includes Vthe` inner layer 3 'of'paper`, or a suitable substitute, it will be understood that l may, under some circumstances, prefer to omit the inner layer, where the outer layer 2 is of suflicient strength to form a bend or hinge, or where it is suitably assisted by additional reinforcement. Also, my characteristic hinge formation may be used with composite boards different than the particular one above described. It can be used, for example, in structures other than containers, for example, shipping pallets, where only one right angle bend is required.

As will be observed, for example, in Figure 1, a box made from the blank illustrated in Figure 4 has the advantage that it will include panels the grain of which extends in parallel with each of the three major axes 'or directions of the box. For example, in Figure l, the grain is vertical in the side panels A and D and is horizontal in the panels hinged to their upper edges. f the horizontal panels, the grain in the panels E and Gis at right angles to the grain in the panels B and F.

I claim:

l; In a rectangular blank for containers, two layers of generally continuous fibrous material, a layer of wood veneer adhesively secured therebetween, its grain extending from edge to edge of the blank, and gaps in the wood veneer, of a width not less than the thickness of the wood veneer, extending transversely across the blank, approximately parallel with the grain of the wood veneer, said gaps being parallel to each other, the layers of fibrous material bridging said gaps, and constituting integral hinge portions, additional gaps extending along the blank, generally perpendicular to the grain of the wood veneer, and to the transverse gaps in an intersecting relation thereto, said gaps being similarly enclosed by the eXtension thereacross of the layers of fibrous material, the intersecting gaps together defining a series of aligned, hinged panels extending along the blank, with side panels hinged tothe side edges of said aligned panels, the layers of brous material being interrupted between the side panels, whereby, when the aligned panels are folded to form sides of a container, side panels are foldable along lines of fold perpendicular to the lines of' fold between the aligned panels, to complete the container so formed, the veneer of the blank being separated along the grain into a plurality of closely adjacent but separated wood elements, located in their original position in the veneer, with a separation between adjacent elements of a small fraction of the width of the individual elements, but with the elements suciently separated to take up the expansion of the individual elements due to moisture, and thus to prevent cumulative expansion or buckling by moisture of the sides of a container formed by the blank.

2. In a rectangular blank for containers, two layers of generally continuous fibrous material, a layer of wood veneer adhesively secured therebetween, and gaps in the wood veneer of a width not less than the thickness of the` wood veneer extending in one direction across the blank, said gaps being parallel to each other, the layers of fibrous material bridging said gaps and constituting integral hinge portions, additional gaps extending generally perpendicular to the first-mentioned gaps in an intersecting relation thereto, said gaps being similarly enclosed by the extension thereacross of the layers of fibrous material, the intersecting gaps together defining a series of aligned, hinged panels to form side walls of a container with Wing panels hinged to the side edges of said aligned panels, the layers of fibrous material being interrupted between the wing panels, whereby to constitute said wing panels for use as top and bottom closures of said container, the veneer of the blank having its grain parallel to one set of gaps and being separated along the grain into a plurality of closely adjacent but separated wood elements located in their original position in the veneer with a separation between adjacent elements of a small fraction of the width of the individual elements, but with the elements suiiciently separated to take up the expansion of the individual elements due to moisture, and thus to prevent cumulative expansion or buckling lgly nrioisture of the sides of a container formed by the 3. In a rectangular blank for containers, two layers of generally continuous fibrous material, a layer of wood veneer adhesively secured therebetween, and gaps in the wood veneer of a width not less than the thickness of the wood veneer extending in one direction across the blank, Said gaps being parallel to each other, thelayersherally perpendicular to the first-mentioned gaps in an "intersecting relation thereto, said gaps being simllarly enclosed by the extension thereacross of the layers of fibrous material, the intersecting gaps together delining a series of aligned, hinged panels to form side walls of a container with wing panels hinged to at least one side edge of said aligned panels, the layers of fibrous material being interrupted between the wing panels, whereby to constitute said wing panels for use as an end closure for said container, the veneer of the blank having its grain parallel to one set of gaps and being separated along the grain into a plurality of closely adjacent but separated wood elements located in their original position in the Veneer with a separation between adjacent elements of a small fraction of the width of the individual elements, but with the elements suiciently separated to take up the expansion of the individual elements due to moisture, and thus to prevent cumulative expansion'or buckling by moisture of the sides of a container formed by the blank.

4. In a rectangular blank for containers, two layers of generally continuous fibrous material, a layer of wood veneer adhesively secured therebetween, and gaps in the wood veneer of a width not less than the thickness of the wood veneer extending in one direction across the blank, said gaps being parallel to each other, the layers of fibrous material bridging said gaps and constituting integral hinge portions, additional gaps extending generally perpendicular to the rst-mentioned gaps in an intersecting relation thereto, said gaps being similarly enclosed by the extension thereacross of the layers of brous material, the intersecting gaps together defining a series of aligned, hinged panels to form side walls of a container with wing panels hinged to at least one side edge of said aligned panels, the layers of fibrous material being interrupted between the wing panels, whereby to constitute said wing panels for use as' an end closurefor said container, the veneer of the blank having its grain parallel to one set of gaps and at each face layer thereof presenting spaced strips of veneer in original side-by-side relation separated by slits extending generally along the grain and extending inwardly from each face, the width of such slits being a small fraction of the width of the individual strips at each face, but with the strips sufiiciently separated to take up the-expansion of the individual strips due to moisture and thus to prevent cumulative force leading to expansion or buckling of the sides4 of the container formed by the blank, the fibrous sheets at each face of the veneer core being effective to rigidity the lined core and overcome the iiexibility of the veneer core resulting from the provision of said slits.

` References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain oct. 28, 1941 

